Speech

UNIFEM Address on the Opening of the Japan Liaison Office

By Inés Alberdi, Executive Director, UNIFEM

Date: 29 October 2009

Occasion: UNIFEM Japan Liaison Office Opening, 29 October 2009

[Check against delivery.]

Sakai City, Japan — Good morning. I am very happy that you could join us here today at the opening of the UNIFEM Japan Liaison Office, which is UNIFEM’s first donor liaison office in Asia.

I am very honoured that we have Mayor Takeyama and distinguished representatives from the Sakai City Government, the Japanese Government, civil society, private sector, United Nations and the Japanese National Committee for UNIFEM joining us for this special occasion.

This office could not have come at a more timely moment.

Today, while there has been much progress in advancing the rights of women, which my organization, the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) works towards every day, without a doubt I can also say much more needs to be done. Poverty is a daily reality for billions of the world’s people, made worse by the global financial crisis. As you know, women often bear the brunt of these economic hardships.

The challenges are many, but if we work in partnerships, we can work to overcome many of these challenges. For instance, tomorrow is the opening of the Japan Women’s Conference, which is being hosted by Sakai City this year and is an important forum bringing together diverse stakeholders working to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Next week, together with UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador Nicole Kidman, I will launch Say NO – UNiTE to End Violence against Women, which is a global call for actions to end violence against women. The initiative will contribute through social mobilization towards the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s high-profile multi-year campaign UNiTE to End Violence against Women. In the first phase of this campaign we had collected more than five million signatures — including from heads of state and ministers from 68 governments, including the entire Japanese cabinet — which demonstrated that ending violence against women is a top priority for governments everywhere. This next phase to be launched on 6 November will throw light on actions on the ground, where change happens.

Such partnerships with the community, with governments, with the private sector are essential. This is the time for new partnerships, this is the time for governments and the private sector to target investment and resources to those most affected, including many of the world’s poorest women. And therefore this is the time for a new chapter for UNIFEM’s presence in Japan.

Japan’s contribution to the work of the United Nations is very significant, including its support to the efforts we at UNIFEM undertake in advancing the rights of women globally. And now this new liaison office in Sakai City will play a vital role in ensuring UNIFEM’s long-term presence in Japan, and to attract greater support, engagement and visibility for work on advancing women’s rights and empowerment around the world. Here, I want to thank Councilwoman and Chairperson of Sakai Women’s Organization Ms. Noriko Yamaguchi for her commitment to UNIFEM and her role in facilitating this partnership with Sakai City.

In closing, I wish to thank Sakai City Government and the team at its International Division, for their generous and continuing support under the leadership of the Mayor of Sakai City that has made this endeavour possible.

Thank You.